Mike Guman
Encyclopedia
Michael Donald Guman is a former professional football
player with the Los Angeles Rams (1980–1988)
Guman was a star running back
at Bethlehem Catholic High School (where he was a high school teammate of future NFLer John Spagnola
). He went on to star at Penn State University. He is well remembered by college football fans for being on the receiving end of a goal line hit by University of Alabama
linebacker
Barry Krauss
, in the Sugar Bowl
on January 1, 1979, (ranked the Greatest Bowl Game Ever by ESPN in 2002) determining the NCAA national football
champion. The hit was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated
the following week, and the accompanying article reported the collision had knocked the rivets on Krauss' helmet loose. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/features/the100?index=6 Fans still send the cover or prints of the photo to Guman to autograph. ESPN.com selected the play as #6 on their list of "100 Moments That Define College Football." http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/features/the100?index=6
Guman was drafted by the defending NFC
Champions Los Angeles Rams in the 6th round (154th overall) of the 1980 NFL draft, on April 30, 1980. His best season was 1981, during which, he rushed for 433 yards and 4 touchdown
s, and had 18 catches for 130 yards. He was used mostly as a blocking fullback
after the Rams drafted Eric Dickerson
in 1983, a position he held for the rest of his career with the team.
with his wife, Karen. They have five children, 3 of whom also attended Penn State. Guman's son Andrew was an Academic All-American
football player at Penn State, under the same coach, Joe Paterno
.
He is currently a Vice-President for Oppenheimer Funds. He still lends his name and image to local restaurants and non-profit groups in the Lehigh Valley
area of Pennsylvania
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player with the Los Angeles Rams (1980–1988)
Guman was a star running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
at Bethlehem Catholic High School (where he was a high school teammate of future NFLer John Spagnola
John Spagnola
John Stephen Spagnola is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, and the Green Bay Packers.-Early life:...
). He went on to star at Penn State University. He is well remembered by college football fans for being on the receiving end of a goal line hit by University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Barry Krauss
Barry Krauss
Richard Barry Krauss is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for eleven seasons in the National Football League.-Early years:...
, in the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
on January 1, 1979, (ranked the Greatest Bowl Game Ever by ESPN in 2002) determining the NCAA national football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
champion. The hit was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
the following week, and the accompanying article reported the collision had knocked the rivets on Krauss' helmet loose. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/features/the100?index=6 Fans still send the cover or prints of the photo to Guman to autograph. ESPN.com selected the play as #6 on their list of "100 Moments That Define College Football." http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/features/the100?index=6
Guman was drafted by the defending NFC
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
Champions Los Angeles Rams in the 6th round (154th overall) of the 1980 NFL draft, on April 30, 1980. His best season was 1981, during which, he rushed for 433 yards and 4 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s, and had 18 catches for 130 yards. He was used mostly as a blocking fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
after the Rams drafted Eric Dickerson
Eric Dickerson
Eric Demetric Dickerson is a former professional running back in the National Football League who in his career played for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons.-College career:...
in 1983, a position he held for the rest of his career with the team.
Personal
Guman retired from football after the 1988 season. He currently resides in Allentown, PennsylvaniaAllentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
with his wife, Karen. They have five children, 3 of whom also attended Penn State. Guman's son Andrew was an Academic All-American
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
football player at Penn State, under the same coach, Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno is a former college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years from 1966 through 2011. Paterno, nicknamed "JoePa," holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football coach with...
.
He is currently a Vice-President for Oppenheimer Funds. He still lends his name and image to local restaurants and non-profit groups in the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
area of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Sources
- "A memory, both good and bad, for Mike Guman", The Morning Call.
- Ain't Nothin' But a Winner, Barry Krauss's book on Amazon.com
- Mike Guman at St. Louis Rams 1980s draft choices.
- Mike Guman on pro-football-reference.com.
External links
- Guman and Penn State's goal line stance against the University of Alabama, YouTube.
- ESPN's "100 Moments That Define College Football", #6 Collision Course